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ECB and European governments at odds over Greek aid

Europe's governments and the European Central Bank are at odds about who should shoulder the financial burden of giving Greece more time to repay its loans and remain part of the eurozone.

ECB officials are willing to sell the central bank's Greek bondholdings for the price it bought them, forgoing any profit, sources said. But this step would meet only a fraction of Greece's financing needs. The bulk of the work must be done by European governments, ECB officials say.

Governments and the ECB, whose monthly policy meeting is scheduled for Thursday, are under pressure because another player in Greece's bailout deals, the International Monetary Fund, says it will continue supporting Athens only if there is a realistic chance the aid can be repaid.

Greece faces a key Treasury-bill repayment in less than two weeks, and the money isn't there unless governments provide additional aid or the ECB agrees to lend Greek banks the money to roll over the debt.